Earl Ramsey has lived in his house on the north side of Myers Park for almost 25 years.

All that time, he’s been buying his groceries, picking up food for his pets, grabbing gifts for his wife and picking up a quick bite of Chinese food from the businesses in the South Monroe shopping center.

But that may soon change.

Last month, the City Commission voted 3-2 in favor of spending $5.5 million to turn the 12.3-acre parcel into a new headquarters for the Tallahassee Police Department. That decision concerns neighbors like Ramsey who are worried about losing several key South City businesses and the 100 or so jobs that come with them.

But Tallahassee officials say it's too early in the process to know what shape the public safety campus – envisioned as part police department, part park and part community center – will take. They argue that it could be a boon to the area, which has struggled to keep pace with revitalization trends elsewhere.

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The Towne South Shopping Center on South Monroe Street where the city has made plans to purchase the property and build a new Tallahassee Police Department and public safety campus.(Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

“There’s other vacant areas down there that I would think would be suitable for the police department without taking out all those businesses,” said Ramsey, a retired educator. “The cost of tearing down and buying out all those leases. All that is expenses that I think could be done a different way.”

The city has proposed to buy out the remaining leases, which range from one to 15 years, on the 11 tenants of the shopping center.

The strip mall is home to clothing stores, a grocery store, Dollar General, a pharmacy, beauty and nail supply stores, a plasma donation center and a WellCare Medicare facility. It is across the street from the shopping center where the Piggly Wiggly sits.

The proximity of the Save-a-Lot grocery store in the shopping center makes it ideal for people who walk to get their food, Ramsey added. Having to cross a busy street just isn’t in the cards for some people who already have to do a fair amount of traveling.

'No immediate plans'

City officials said it would be at least two, maybe, three years before any of the businesses would have to move. Site plans are the next step after negotiations on the purchase are complete.

Assistant City Manager Cynthia Barber said there is a push to keep those businesses in South City. With the addition of about 600 jobs to the area, grocers, pharmacies and eventually housing will be in high demand.

Permitting the space could take as long as a year. In the next few months, a special analysis will determine what the campus could look like within the space.

“There are no immediate plans to start modifying,” Barber said by phone, adding that depending on what the space needs are, there could be opportunities for existing businesses to stay in the center.

The Towne South Shopping Center on South Monroe Street where the city has made plans to purchase the property and build a new Tallahassee Police Department and public safety campus.(Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Three proposals were submitted for the city to consider. Last year it indicated it was looking at the South Monroe-Orange Avenue corridor for the new location of police headquarters.

The shopping plaza site, whose owners are represented by NAI TALCOR, has the option to maintain some of the businesses contained within, Barber said. It sits outside of the south Tallahassee flood plain, and the owners are amenable to trading property to help reduce the cost to the city.

TPD’s current Seventh Avenue headquarters sits in a building constructed after the demolition of Sealey Elementary School. Based there since 1972, TPD has seen its ranks outgrow the building, which has suffered structural and water damage and lacks meeting space for community events.

Other options

Customers aren't the only people who disagree with the city's choice of the shopping center. Bill Wilson thought his parcel of land – a 17-acre chunk right next to the South Monroe shopping center – was better suited for the police department.

He worked to piece together the land in a proposal that could meet TPD's needs and avoid destroying the shopping center.

“Yes, there is a net gain,” he said. “But it could have been 700 jobs in the neighborhood. And we’ve talked about South City being a food desert, and we’re closing a grocery store.”

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The former Shoe! Time and Simply Fashion shops on South Monroe Street remain empty and unoccupied.(Photo: Andrew Salinero/Democrat)

City Commissioner Scott Maddox proposed using land at Jack McLean Park as a home for the complex.

However, city staff in documents said the site was not located in the specific area where the complex was targeted to be and that the heavily wooded park, with its 60-foot topographic changes does not provide the vehicular access of the proposed site.

Maddox, in a statement, said the park has all the amenities the public safety complex proposal asks for on land already owned by the city.

"The police chief has said he wants a neighborhood friendly complex with recreation opportunities combined," he said. "The city already owns a park on the Southside with a pool, basketball courts and lots of acreage. Why wouldn’t we build on our own property and save the taxpayers $5.5 million?"

County Commissioner Bill Proctor’s district includes the property slated for the police department as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.

He said most of the people he has spoken with aren't in favor of a large-scale police station being right in their backyard. He, like Wilson, also is concerned with closing stores and reducing economic opportunity.

“This doesn’t bring jobs to us,” he said. “They could take this thing outside to our urban community. That property is too valuable to turn into a police station that doesn’t bring jobs.

“The people want the fairgrounds redeveloped. They want Woodville Highway widened.We want a brand new high school. We want new middle schools. That’s what we want. We didn’t ask for a police station.”

But city officials contend that with the new complex, employees will need places to live, conduct business and eat.

City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, who voted in favor of the police station, asked during the commission meeting about the possibility of working to keep the businesses that could be displaced in South City.

There is a move to keep some of them on site; however, plans for the public safety complex are far from complete.

“From what I was told, they will look to keep as many of the businesses on site as possible, and those that may not be able to stay, we’ll help them. With the goal to keep them in the south side,” Richardson continued. “All of this is in the preliminary stages.”

Despite fears from residents, Richardson sees this as an an overall positive development for residents in his district.

What the police station will do, he said, is provide a badly needed sense of safety in one of the neighborhoods deemed a Tallahassee crime hotspot.

“They will be more quickly able to address crime issues because they will be located here in the community and be able to respond quicker,” he said. “The goal is to attract people from the neighborhood through the amenities and programs. All of this is a game changer for the south side of town, and that’s what we all are excited about.”

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.